Cigar-branding machine.



No. 628,15I. Patented luly 4, |899. N. WEISS &. F. J. HAGEN. CIGARBBANDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Juy 16, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Ulu Model.)

Tn: Nnnnls PETERS cc.. PHOTO-mwa.. wAsHmGroN. o. c.

No. 628,!51. Patcnted July 4, |899.

' N. WEISS F. J. HAGEN.

CIGR BRANDINH MACHINE.

. (Application led Juy 16, 1 898.)

l(No Modal.)

ASL/l mi Nunms PETERS co, wow-umu.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

` UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHANVEISS AND FERDINAND .I HAGEN, OF NEV YORK, N.IY.`

CIGAR-BRANDINGMACI-HNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,151, dated July 4,1899.

Application fled Iuly 16., 1898. Serial No. 686,092. (No model.)

To au whom it may concern.- j

Be it known that we, NATHAN WEISS and FERDINAND J. HAGEN, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of the borough of Manhattan, city andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements'.

in Cigar-Branding Machines, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure lis a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a front View, aportion of the carrying-chain being removed; and Fig. 3, a detailhorizontal sectional view showing a portion of the carrying-chain andits front supporting-wheels. y

The invention has for its object to provide a machine of simpleconstruction which may be rapidly and easily operated and in which thebranding operation will be performed by a constant force, whereby thebrands will be impressed upon the cigars with a uniform pressure. A

Another object of the invention is to provide means for insuring thedischarge of the cigars from the conyeyer after theyhave been branded.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of partshereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claimsappended.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates a suitablesupport upon which are mounted two vertical side frames 2. In the frontends of these side frames is mounted a transverse horizontal shaft 3,which carries two sprocket-wheels 4. These wheels are a suitabledistance apart, and over them run chains 5, which are connected byparallel transverse troughs or cups which receive the cigars and withthem constitute the cigarcarrying chain or belt. At the rear of themachine the chains 5 pass over sprocketwheels 7, which are mounted on Aashaft 8, and this shaft is journaled in the upper ends of pivoted arms9, whose lower ends are secured to a rock-shaft 10, which is mounted inthe side frames. Projecting rearward from this rock-shaft is an arm l1,from which depends a screw-threaded rod l2, which carries a thumb-nut13, which abuts against a fixed stop. By means of this arrangement thecarrying-belt may be tightened or loosened, as-

desired. Y

Upon one end of the shaft 3 is rigidly s'ecured a ratchet-wheel 14, andadjacent to said wheel on said shaft is mounted a loose sleeve 15, whichis formed with a forward-extending arm 16. To the forward end of thisarm is securedrone end of an adjustable rod 17.

to an upward-extending arm 1S, which is rigidly mounted on a rock-shaft19, journaled in the support l. Projecting upward and rearward fromrock-shaft 19 is an arm 20, and connected to said arm is a treadle-rod2l, which is connected to treadle 22. Carried by the arm 16 is a pawl23, which engages the ratchet-wheel 14. Carried by the frame in aposition to be engaged by the arm 16 at the limit of its downwardmovement isan adjustable stop 24. From the foregoing it will ybe seenthat by depressing the treadle the carrier or conveyer-belt will be fedforward and that by means of the stop 23` the exact amount of movementdesired may be permitted.

Loosely mounted on the shaft 19, adjacent the arm 18, is aratchet-wheel25, and secured to said ratchet-wheel is a large gear-wheel 26, andcarried by the arm 18is a pawl 27, which engages the ratchet 25. Forwardof the vrockshaft 19 is journaled a shaft 28, upon which is secured asmall gear 29,v which meshes with the gear 26. Secured to this shaft, atone end thereof, is an elliptical cam 30, with which engages a roller31, carried by a vertically-reciprocating bar 32. The circumference ofthis cam at the ends of its shorter diameter is depressed to formrecesses in which the roller 3l drops alternately at the end of eachhalf-rotation of the cam. The roller 31 follows'the surface of the camduring its rotation, and the object of the depressions is to lpreventthe momentum of the rotating. gear- `wheels and shaft 28 from carryingthe cam laround'more than a half-rotation.

The roller dropping into the recess in the cam and held there by theweight of the bar 32 and the 'mechanism carried thereby will effectuallyhold the cam in proper position to begin the next movement. During eachhalf-rotation of the cam the bar 32 is raised and then per- This rodextends rearward and downward, and its rear endis adj ustably connectedVIOO mitted to lower, always coming to rest with roller 3l in one of therecesses in the cam. The lower end of bar 32 is slotted and tits overthe shaft 28 and is guided thereby, and its upper end is threaded toreceive two nuts 33, which clamp between them the head of the horizontaldie-carrying frame 34, which eX- tends across the machine just under thecigarcarrying belt and is rigidly jointed at 34. On this frame 34 issecured a suitable branding-die 35, and the troughs or cups 6 areslotted to permit said dies to engage the cigars. The free end of thedie-carrying frame is guided in a slot in the frame or by any othersuitable means.

Projecting outward from the head of the die-carrying frame isan arm36,to which is pivoted a rod 37. This rod at its upper end is pivotallyand adjustablysecured to a lever 3S, which is pivoted to a suitablesupport, its free end extending out over the carrying-belt. To this freeend is secured a series of adjustable spring-clamps 39, which areadapted to engage the cigars in the troughs of the carrying-belt. Theseclamps are each formed of a strip of spring metal rigidly secured at oneend to the under side of lever 38, their free ends being substantiallyhorizontal. These free ends are concaved on their under side in order tofit down on the cigars in the troughs. Set-screws 39, carried by lever39, bear upon the upper side of the spring-clamp R, and by means of themthe pressure brought on the cigars may to a certain degree be regulated.

The cigars are fed into the troughs of the carrier from the table 43,and the operator performs the moving of t-he carrier and the brandingoperations by operating the treadle. IVhen the treadle is depressed, thecarrier is moved far enough forward to bring a series of filled troughsunder the clamps, this being accomplished through the medium of rod 21,arms 20 and 18, rod 17, and ratchet devices 14 and 24, the parts beingso proportioned that a series of four cigars are brought forward at eachdepression of the treadle. The operation of thus moving the carrierdistends spring 40, as is obvious. When the treadle is released, thespring 40, connected to arm 18 and to the frame, returns thebelt-feeding mechanism to its normal position and in doing socauses-pawl 27 to partially rotate ratchet 25 and with it gear 26. Themovement of gear 26 causes a half-rotation of gear 28, and cam 30 forcesupward rod 32, carrying the dies up to the cigars. As the dies moveupward the clamps 39, through the medium of rod 37 and lever 3S, descendand clamp the cigars during the branding operation.

To insure the cigars dropping from the carrier or carrying-belt afterthey are branded, an ejector-wheel41is-mounted on shaft 3 and isprovided with projections which enter the slots in the bottoms of thetroughs 6 and raise the cigars off the bottoms and release any whichlnay have been stuck thereon during the branding operation.

An adjustable stop 42 is secured in a position to be engaged by the endof arm 18 lo stop the belt-feeding mechanism in the proper position tobegin the feeding operation.

As shown in the drawings the parts are proportioned to feed and brandfour cigars at each operation of the treadle; but itis obvious that theymay be arranged so that any desired number may be branded at eachoperation. An inclined feeding-table 43, down which the cigars are fedto the chain, is provided, and adjustable guides 44 extend forward fromsaid table to facilitate the proper arranging of the cigars in thecarrying-belt.

The advantage in providing the spring 40 to do the branding operation isthat the brand will be impressed upon the cigars with a uniform force`and the dies will remain in contact with the cigars the same length oftime, which is especially advantageous in View of the fact that the diesare heated at every operation. In this way a very uniform branding willbe secured. The pressure upon the cigars by the clamps at times causesthem to adhere to the carrying-belt, and if they are not released at theproper time they may be carried partly through the machine and bedestroyed. To avoid this, the ejector-wheel 41 is provided. Thiswheelinsures their release at the proper time.

The mechanism employed to return the beltfeeding mechanism to its normalposition and to perform the branding operation-namely, the spring40 orits equivalentwis particularly adapted for foot or hand power machines;but it may be employed on machines operated by other power. It will alsobe noted that the machine may be employed in branding other articlesthan cigars.

The branding-dies are heated in any suitable manner, preferably by agas-burner 50, supported under the die-carrying arm and connected toapipe 5l, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

I-Iaving thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a branding-machine, the combination of a frame, a carrying-beltprovided with slotted troughs, means for operating this belt, a verticalbar 32 supported at one side of the carrier-belt, means forreciprocating this bar, a die-frame 34 secured to said bar at its upperend and extending inward under the carrier-belt and provided with diesadapted to pass through the slots in the troughs when bar 32 is raised,an arm 36 carried by said bar and extending in the opposite directionfrom the die-frame, a lever 38 pivoted on the frame above bar 32, thislever being provided at its inner end with resilient clamps adapted topress down upon the articles being branded, and a link 37 connecting theother end of this lever to the arm 36, as and for the purposes setforth.

2. In a branding-machine, the combination of a frame, a carrier for thearticles t0 be IOI) IIOv

branded, a branding mechanism, mechanism for moving the carrier to thebranding mechanism, and a device engaged by the carriermoving mechanismduring the movement of the carrier and thereby moved out of its normalposition, said device being adapted to be released after the movement ofthe said carrier, and means adapted to completely operate the brandingmechanism independently .ing mechanism and perform a complete brandingoperation.

4. In a machine for branding articles the combination of a support, acarrying-belt, a branding mechanism, means for feeding the carrying-beltto the branding mechanism, a spring connected to the feeding mechanismand adapted to be distended when said mech-v anism is operated and toreturn said mechanism to its normal position when released, and meansconnecting the branding mechanism and the belt-feed mechanism wherebywhen the belt-feeding mechanism is returned to its normal position thebranding mechanism will be operated and-then returned toits normalposition or point of rest.

5. In a machine for branding articles the combination of a support, acarrying-belt, a branding mechanism, means for feeding the carrying-beltto the branding mechanism, a lever for operating said belt-feedingmechanism, a spring connected to the belt-feeding mechanism and adaptedto be distended when said mechanism is operated, and to return saidfeeding mechanism to its normal position when the operating-lever isreleased, and means connecting the belt-feeding mechanism to thebranding mechanism whereby when the belt-feedin g mechanism is returnedto its normal position the branding mechanism will be operated and thenreturned to its normal position. l

. 6. In a branding-machine the combination of a support, shafts mountedtherein, a carrying-belt carried by said shafts abelt-feeding mechanismconsisting of a ratchet'mechanism mounted on one of the belt carryingshafts, a rock-shaft, means for operating said shaft, an arm carried bysaid shaft, a rod connecting said arm to the ratchet mechan-y ism on thebelt-carrying shaft, means, as spring 40, for returning saidbelt-feeding mechanism to its normal position after it has beenoperated, a branding device, a bar supporting and operating saidbranding device,

a cam for reciprocating said bar to operate the branding device, andmeans connecting this cam to the rock-shaft whereby when the belt-feeding mechanism is returned to its normal position the branding mechanismwill be operated and then returned to its normal p0- sition.

In testimony whereof We hereunto a'ix our signatures, in the presence oftwo Witnesses, this 15th day of July, 1898. Y

NATHAN WEISS.

FERDINAND J. HAGEN.

Witnesses:

RAY WoLFsoN, S. L. DUTSCH.

